Apparatus for making pompons



June 17, 1941. CTQNE 2,245,903

APPARATUS FOR MKKING POMPONS Filed Nov. 16, 1940 Patented June 17, 1941 I UNI-TED STATES PAT-3s sr 2,245,903 7 APPARATUS FOR MAKINGPOMPONS.

' Ralph R. Cone, New York, N..Y., assignor to Lily Mills Company, Shelby", N; 0., a corporation of North Carolina Application November 16, 1940,, Serial No. 365,895

8' Claims.

the: like, not only for ornamental purposes but also to provide a. softer and more durable wearing surface. When pompons, tufts and the like are used, however, almost any color pattern may be used. since. the. individual tufts or pompons are usually tiedby hand onto a suitable ground fabric.

It is an object of this invention to. provide a simple apparatus for holding a. strand: or strands of yarn in a taut condition, and for confiningthe same; with the intermediate portion thereof istied and severed; atv predetermined points to form tufts, pompons and the. like. Specifically the invention comprises an elongated trough-like memher having pins disposed at each end thereof around which a skein of. yarn is wound. The

intermediate portion of. the skein is adapted to removably fit in the. trough and the: trough has a plurality of transverse slots in the sidewalls for accommodating tie strings and also has other transverse slots in the sidewallsbetween the tie string grooves for accommodating a. knife or other cutting tool to sever the tied skein. Such an apparatus, permits: the skein to be formed on the upper portion of the pins and then to be pushed downwardly into the trough where the tying and severing operations take place.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as'the. description. proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is an isometric view of my improved device upon which tufts, pompons, rosettes and the like are adapted to be formed;

Figure 2 is an isometric View similar to Figure 1 with. the central portion thereof broken away showing a skein of yarn or other tufting material supported by the apparatus and also showing suitable tie strings disposed at spaced points for subsequently tying the skein intermediate its ends;

Figure 3 is an isometric detail view of a part of the device showing the skein of yarn after it has been lowered from the position shown in Figure 2 and after it has been tied by the tie strings;

Figure 4- is an. isometric detail View showing the positions. of the ends of the. tie. string after the. skein. hasbeen. tied andalso. showing a. suitable blade inserted in one of. the. transverse slots. inthe. apparatus. for severing the tied. skein.

intermediatethe tie points;

Figured is .an. isometric View of a. portion of theskein. after it has been severed. and tied to. form a separate bunch of yarn;

Figure 6.-is avievv of Figure 5 after the severed tied ends. haveheen fiuffed and finished;

. .Figme. 7. issaiaceview of one of. the finished tufts,..pompons, and the like.

. Referring. more specifically to the drawing, the numeral l-ll denotes a suitable elongated base. member which is. adaptedto rest: upon. any suitable support such as .a table. Upon the upper. face of the base. member Ii) is secured; alongitudinally disposed trough-like member I I having spaced. sidewalls I.3., said member ll havingits bottom portion extending. substantially beyond the ends of the sidewalls forming. portions Ila; which portions Ila support vertically disposed pins l2. substantially higher than the sidewalls of the trough member H. The purpose of providing this additional height of the pins is to-permit a. suitable skein of yarn M to be wound around the upper portions of the pins and at thesame time clear the tops of the trough sidewalls.

The sidewa11sl3, have a plurality ofsets of transverse slots 15 therein, said slots extending from. the. top edges of the sidewalls to the bottom portion of the trough. These slots are 1 disposed. inpairs so that a single tie string l6 that a suitable cutting mechanism such .as a

knife blade I8 is adapted to be inserted into. pairs of. these slots to sever the tied skein intermediate the tie points. Scissors can also be used as acutting tool, if desired.

When using the above described apparatusv for forming tufts, a suitable skein of yarn I4. is. wound around the upper portions of the pins l2 (Figure 2). Upon the completion of the skein and its ends secured, it is pushed downwardly toward the bases of the pins and into the trough It will be noted that these pins are member II to the position shown in Figure 3. The ends of the tie strings I6, which are disposed in the slots l5, are then gathered and suitable knots 2i] are tied, and then the two ends of each tie string are pulled toward the observer in Figures 3 and 4 and pressed into one of the slots l5 where the friction of the slots will anchor the ends into position. At this time, the skein is in position for the severing operation which is illustrated in Figure 4. When the skein has been severed at each of the pairs of slots ll, suitable bunches 22 of short strands are formed. These bunches are flufied and finished to form tufts or pompons 23, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, after which they are ready to be tied or sewed upon a suitable ground fabric to form a rug or other tufted article.

It will be noted that when the severing mechanism i6 is inserted into the alternate slots H, which are not occupied by the tie strings, that the entire intermediate portion of the skein of yarn will be cut into short lengths. However, the end portions of the skein which extend around the pins [2 will remain unsevered. If desired suitable vertically disposed grooves 25 may be provided in each of these pins to accommodate other tie strings for tying the end tufts. Upon tying the tufts at the ends, it will be necessary to sever the skein at a point adjacent the end of the trough walls 13. By employing this method the entire skein may be utilized for making tufts thereby eliminating any waste. It is obvious that the tufts formed at the pins l2 are slightly different from the tufts formed on the intermediate portion of the skein, since there will be a slightly greater variation in the length of the short strands 'which form the tied bunch; however, these tufts may be segregated and used for special purposes.

In the drawing and specification, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment ofvthe invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for forming tufts, pompons and the like, comprising a horizontal U-shaped trough member adapted to receive the intermediate portion of a skein of tufting material, a pair of spaced upstanding pins alined with the longitudinal axis of the trough, and adapted to support the ends of the skein to hold the same in distended position, said trough having a plurality of pairs of spaced transverse slots in the sidewalls for receiving the intermediate portions of tie strings whereby the skein can be tied at a plurality of spaced points While in the trough.

2. Apparatus for forming tufts, pompons and the like, comprising a horizontal U-shaped trough member adapted to receive the intermediate portion of the skein of tufting material, a pair of spaced upstanding pins alined with the longitudinal axis of the trough, and adapted to support the ends of the skein to hold the same in stretched position, said trough having a plurality of spaced transverse slots in the side walls for receiving the intermediate portions of tie strings whereby the skein can be tied at a plurality of spaced points while in the trough, the trough side walls also having a second set of transverse slots intermediate said string receiving slots to permit a severing mechanism to be inserted therein for severing the skein between the tied points.

3. Apparatus for forming tufts, pompons and the like comprising an elongated member having a longitudinal groove therein adapted to receive a skein of tufting material, means for removably holding the skein in stretched position in the groove, said groove having a plurality of spaced transverse slots in its sidewalls for receiving the intermediate portions of strings whereby the skein can be tied at a plurality of spaced points while in the groove.

4. Apparatus for forming tufts, pompons and the like comprising a longitudinally grooved member adapted to receive a skein of tufting material, means for removably holding the skein in stretched position in the groove, said groove having a plurality of spaced transverse slots in its sidewalls for receiving the intermediate portions of strings whereby the skein can be tied at a plurality of spaced points while in the groove, the groove sidewalls also having a second set of transverse slots intermediate said string receivp ing slots to permit a cutting tool to be inserted therein for severing the skein between the tied points.

5. Apparatus for forming tufts, pompons and the like comprising a longitudinally grooved member adapted to receive a skein of tufting material, a pair of pins around which the skein is adapted to be placed for holding the same in stretched position ,in said groove, said groove having a plurality of pairs of spaced transverse slots in its sidewalls for receiving the intermediate portions of tie strings whereby the skein can be tied at a plurality of spaced points while in the groove.

6., Apparatus for forming tufts, pompons and the like comprising a longitudinally grooved member adapted to receive a skein of tufting material, a pair of pins around which the skein is adapted to be placed for holding the same in stretched position in said groove, said groove having a plurality of pairs of spaced transverse slots in its side walls for receiving the intermediate portions of tie strings whereby the skein can be tied at a plurality of spaced points while in the groove, the groove sidewalls also having a second set of pairs of transverse slots intermediate said string receiving slots to permit a severing mechanism to be inserted therein for severing the skein between the tied points.

'7. Apparatus for forming tufts and the like comprising a U-shaped trough member, adapted to receive the intermediate portion of a skein of tufting material, a pair of spaced upstanding pins alined with the longitudinal axis of the trough and adapted to support the ends of the skein to hold the same in stretched position, said pins being substantially higher than the sidewalls of the trough so that the skein can be wound around the upper portion of the pins and subsequently moved into the trough while on the pins, said trough having a plurality of pairs of spaced transverse slots in the sidewalls for receiving the intermediate portions of tie strings, whereby the skein can be tied at a plurality of spaced points while in the trough.

8. Apparatus for forming tufts and the like comprising a U-shaped trough member, adapted to receive the intermediate portion of a skein of tufting material, a pair of spaced upstanding pins alined withthe longitudinal axis of the trough and adapted to support the ends of the skein to hold the same in stretched position, said pins being substantially higher than the sidewalls of the trough, so that the skein can be wound around the upper portion of the pins and subsequently moved into the trough while on the pins, said trough having a plurality of pairs of spaced transverse slots in the sidewalls for receiving the intermediate portions of tie strings whereby 5 the skein.

RALPH R. C'ONE. 

